Vacation Time Favorites

The original Family vacation movie is one of my all-time favorites. I love the line, “Sorry folks parks closed. The Moose at the gate should have told you.”

Outdoor Paradise

I am back from my own family vacation. Last week I packed up the metaphorical family truckster with my wife and kids for a delightful week of sun and fun in Arizona. I was in the far northeast suburbs of Phoenix and delighted in the amazing outdoor recreation opportunities available to us. My favorites were hiking to the summit of Black Mountain with my son, running the Go John trail loop at the Cave Creek Recreation area, and looking for lizards on several family hikes. We also enjoyed hours of swimming in a really warm pool, the Phoenix Zoo, and the Phoenix Children’s Museum.

Winter is making an encore visit to my central Wisconsin home tomorrow. We have a winter storm warning posted for 6-12″ of snow so I am really missing the 90F temps we left behind in Phoenix.

Great Reading

I may be a few years behind but I got caught up in the Millennium Trilogy of books on vacation. The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, the Girl Who Played with Fire, and the Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. I couldn’t put them down. Any free moment I was reading. The great thing about all that reading was I almost completely ignored my email inbox, Facebook and Twitter feed, and my Google Reader. Oh well. Have you read any of the books?

Vacation Tips

Vacation is wonderful, but it usually takes me a couple of days to unwind and start the vacation and a couple of days to recover. When I go on vacation I try to:

1. Maintain a regular routine of sleep, eating, and exercise.

2. Separate from work related communications.

3. Set some goals which for me are usually related to outdoor pursuits, reading, and playing Scrabble.

4. Give myself a full day at home post vacation and before returning to work.

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.
Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.